Cultural Appropriation Examples

Why This Matters

Cultural appropriation sits at the intersection of several core concepts you'll encounter throughout your Communication and Popular Culture course: power dynamics, representation, commodification, and the relationship between dominant and marginalized groups. When you analyze these examples, you're really being tested on your ability to identify how meaning gets stripped from cultural practices when they cross boundaries without context, consent, or credit. This connects directly to broader discussions about media representation, cultural hegemony, and how popular culture both reflects and reinforces social inequalities.

Don't just memorize which practices are considered appropriative—understand why they're problematic and what communication principles they illustrate. Ask yourself: Who benefits? Who is harmed? What power imbalance exists? These analytical frameworks will serve you well on FRQs that ask you to apply appropriation theory to new examples you haven't seen before.

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Erasure of Sacred and Spiritual Meaning

When items with deep religious or ceremonial significance get transformed into fashion accessories, the process strips away layers of meaning built over generations. This represents commodification at its most fundamental—converting spiritual value into market value.

Native American Headdresses

• Sacred ceremonial items—headdresses are traditionally earned by leaders and warriors through acts of courage and service, not purchased or worn casually
• Reduction to costume trivializes centuries of spiritual practice and treats living cultures as historical artifacts
• Perpetuates "noble savage" stereotypes that flatten diverse Indigenous nations into a single caricature, erasing contemporary Native identity

Sacred Religious Symbols as Fashion

• Decontextualization occurs when symbols like the Om, cross, or hamsa become accessories divorced from their spiritual frameworks
• Spiritual commodification transforms objects of devotion into mass-produced trends, prioritizing aesthetics over meaning
• Asymmetrical power dynamics—marginalized religious communities rarely benefit from or control how their symbols circulate in mainstream fashion

Bindis as Accessories

• Traditional significance varies across South Asian cultures, often indicating marital status, religious devotion, or the "third eye" chakra
• Festival culture adoption popularized bindis at music festivals, where wearers typically lack understanding of cultural context
• Double standard problem—South Asian women face discrimination for traditional dress while white women receive praise for the same aesthetic

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Historical Exploitation and Ongoing Harm

Some forms of appropriation carry the weight of specific historical trauma, making them particularly charged examples of how cultural borrowing intersects with systemic oppression. The harm isn't just about the present act—it's about what that act evokes.

Blackface and Minstrel Shows

• Historical weapon of dehumanization—minstrelsy was 19th-century America's most popular entertainment, using caricature to justify racial hierarchy
• Lasting psychological impact means contemporary instances trigger collective trauma rooted in centuries of mockery and violence
• Still surfaces today in Halloween costumes, fraternity parties, and social media, demonstrating how deeply embedded these images remain

White Musicians Adopting Black Music Without Credit

• Pattern of extraction spans blues, jazz, rock and roll, and hip-hop, where Black artists created genres that white artists then popularized and profited from
• Economic appropriation compounds cultural theft—Elvis, Benny Goodman, and others built wealth on Black innovation while original artists often died in poverty
• Erasure of origins occurs when mainstream narratives credit white artists as innovators rather than adapters

Cornrows and Dreadlocks on Non-Black Individuals

• Professional discrimination context—Black employees face workplace penalties for natural hairstyles that white celebrities then wear to acclaim
• Historical significance of these styles includes resistance, cultural pride, and community identity dating back centuries
• "Urban" rebranding happens when styles get renamed (e.g., "boxer braids") to distance them from Black origins while maintaining the aesthetic

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Commodification of Cultural Practices

When cultural elements become products for sale or consumption by outsiders, they enter what scholars call the cultural marketplace. This process transforms identity markers into consumer choices, available to anyone with purchasing power.

Día de los Muertos Halloween Costumes

• Living religious practice honoring deceased ancestors gets flattened into "spooky skeleton aesthetic" divorced from its spiritual purpose
• Timing confusion matters—Día de los Muertos (November 1-2) isn't Halloween, and conflating them erases the holiday's distinct meaning
• Selective adoption takes the visual elements (sugar skulls, marigolds) while ignoring the practices (building altars, visiting graves, preparing favorite foods)

Kimonos and Qipaos as Costumes

• Formal garments with protocols—both have specific rules about when, how, and by whom they should be worn in their origin cultures
• "Geisha girl" and "China doll" stereotypes get reinforced when these garments appear as sexy Halloween costumes
• Context matters—wearing a kimono to a Japanese cultural event at a host's invitation differs significantly from wearing one to a costume party

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Extraction from Indigenous Communities

Indigenous peoples face a particular form of appropriation where their cultural expressions become raw material for commercial products, often without consent, compensation, or credit. This extends colonial patterns of extraction into the cultural realm.

Indigenous Art in Commercial Products

• Intellectual property issues—Indigenous designs often lack Western copyright protection, making them vulnerable to corporate theft
• Economic harm occurs when mass-produced knockoffs undercut Indigenous artists selling authentic work
• Collective ownership in many Indigenous cultures means individuals can't "sell" designs that belong to the community, creating exploitation opportunities

"Tribal" Tattoos

• Homogenization problem—the term "tribal" lumps together distinct traditions from Polynesian, African, Native American, and other cultures
• Sacred meanings ignored—many traditional tattoos indicate lineage, achievements, or spiritual status and aren't meant for outsiders
• Permanent appropriation literally inscribes borrowed symbols onto bodies without understanding or earning them

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two examples best illustrate how the same aesthetic can bring praise to one group while causing discrimination for another? What communication concept does this demonstrate?

2. Compare music appropriation and blackface: both take from Black culture, but why might scholars categorize them differently on a spectrum from appropriation to mockery?

3. If an FRQ asked you to distinguish between cultural appreciation and appropriation, which example offers the most nuanced case for discussing how context matters? What factors would you analyze?

4. Indigenous art theft and tribal tattoos both involve extraction from Indigenous cultures. How do they differ in terms of the actors involved and the type of harm caused?

5. Día de los Muertos costumes and kimono costumes both involve wearing cultural dress inappropriately. What additional layer of appropriation does the Día de los Muertos example involve that makes it particularly useful for discussing religious commodification?